Photo: Calebrw · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Bird Island run?
Bird Island’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,219 per resident. Water and other utilities ($384,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bird Island is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,219 per resident a year, or $3.34 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,297 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bird Island’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,297 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,111, and the middle half spent $740–$1,505. Bird Island spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($261,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bird Island itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bird Island reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,297 · 2023: $1,219.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,682 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.18% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bird Island’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Bird Island’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bird Island →
Who’s in charge in Bird Island
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bird Island’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on birdislandcity.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 250 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (999).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian Public School District
Bird Island’s K–12 school district, shared with Bird Island Township, Kingman Township, Lake Lillian, Olivia, Norfolk Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,666 per pupil, $8,401 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bird Island’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bird Island alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Renville County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.6%5,610 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.3%2,280 votesOthers: 2.1% (168 votes).
Most votes in Renville County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Bird Island lies in Renville County. Every 2024 race in Renville County is on the county’s page.
Renville County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bird Island.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: birdislandcity.com ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bird Island’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bird Island’s government
How much does Bird Island spend per resident?
About $1,219 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,297 was more than 63% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bird Island?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,682 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see birdislandcity.com.
Who runs Bird Island’s government?
See birdislandcity.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bird Island yet.
How did Bird Island vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bird Island alone. Renville County, where 100% of Bird Island lies, voted Trump 69.6%, Harris 28.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bird Island?
4 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $38,623 (about $463,476 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bird Island in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Andrew Lang) and State House District 16A (Scott Van Binsbergen). The House district also covers 80 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bird Island’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →